180
Lucy
I looked up to see Lucian walking in his pajamas with a stack of mail under his arm. He smiled, holding a cup in his hand.
“Well… yes.”
Lucian nodded. “I’m glad… Walk with me? I think we should talk.”
I nodded, walking alongside Lucian through the house until we reached the serene courtyard behind it. There was only a sliver of moonlight coming from the sky. Lucian’s gaze was distant, contemplative, and I sensed that there was something on his mind.
“Is everything okay, Lucian?”
“Sort of. I’ve received invitations for our pack to attend the Crescent Festival and other werewolf-centric events… private parties, etc.”
The mention of the Crescent Festival had my heart skipping a beat.
“You don’t look happy about it…”
“It could be a chance to gain allies among the smaller packs…” His lips twitched. “Or rather, it is, but there’s a need to be cautious. Entangling ourselves so deeply with the werewolves again might lead to another power struggle faster than anyone is prepared for.”
“Why?”
“Other than our use of magic, the White Moon Pack’s bloodline has one other quirk: we are the only bloodline from which a Moon Goddess can be born.”
“I thought the Moon Goddess… was dead?”
“She is, but it’s not as though there could not be another. The title is half mythos and half-truth. A Moon Goddess is one with a distinct connection to the power that comes from the moon. The crystal necklace has been lost, but it serves as a conduit for that power. I hope it will stay lost, but if the other packs think that we have it, it’s going to be a problem.”
I shuddered. “I get it. So what do we do?”
“For now, I open the mail and gather what information I can. I can turn down the smaller invitations without offending anyone… The Crescent Festival is something different.”
He sighed again. He looked so tired.
“Becoming alpha wasn’t something you ever thought you’d be doing, was it?”
He laughed. “Not in a million years, but I’m glad to do it if it means that I can make sure we’re all together again.”
I nodded. “David… David asked me to go with him to the Festival.”
“You said yes.”
I nodded and looked up at him. He grinned at me.
“I am glad.” We came to a stop just at the edge overlooking the forest. The night was so quiet around us. The stars twinkled above us.
“Since you don’t have a luna… that means you just have to show up, right?”
“Correct. I’m thinking of taking Anya with me. She’s never been, but I can trust her to at least bring me back in one piece and tell me who I shouldn’t piss off.”
“Is she going to be luna?”
He scoffed. “No way in hell. She doesn’t have a diplomatic bone in her body. She’d eat half the alphas alive and spit the other half out.”
I laughed, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.
“There’s a chance that this will be the first time a fight has broken out at the Festival, but I want you to promise me that you’ll listen to David, no matter what happens.”
“What do you mean?”
He smiled. “He’ll make sure you get out safely, hell or high water, and that’s all I want.”
He squeezed me close. “You’re all I have left of Allie. And I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”
I squeezed him back. “I promise… so long as you make sure to live too. We… We need you.”
Lucian nodded. “It’s a deal.”
A few days had passed since Lucian’s decision to attend the Crescent Festival. David looked back to himself, though things felt different between us. I found myself immersed in my studies at both the human college and the coven’s campus. With my schedule bustling with classes, magical training, and pack matters, time seemed to slip through my fingers like sand.
Today, I had a private class with Lucian and Duke. I was absolutely ready to try my hand at magic since I still couldn’t wield a staff without help if it meant that would be easier. We were in the back room in the cleared space with pots on the table. The soft glow of candlelight illuminated the room, casting dancing shadows along the walls. The air was charged with magic, and I focused intently as Luke hauled a large bag onto the table.
Duke grinned. “So… you’re going to the Crescent Festival with David… Should anyone expect you home after?”
I scowled at him. “Leave me alone.”
Lucian laughed. “David’s the type to bring her home by ten or not at all.”
Duke laughed. “I’m betting on not at all.”
I huffed. “I thought this was a class…”
“It is, but that’s the problem with coming to class with family,” Lucian said and grinned. “Teasing is part of the curriculum.”
He handed us both shovels. “We’re starting with the basics today: growing magic.”
Duke sputtered. “How is that basic?”
“Based on your profiles, you’re both pre-disposed to earth magic, which means growing. And it’s easier for living things to understand and share life energy with living things.”
He set a package of seeds on the table. “We need all these planted and growing, so pick a seed, and let’s get started. It works the same as magical channeling, honestly, so I’m not expecting you to have too much trouble with it, Duke.”
My shoulders slumped. “And me?”
“This is what we call practical practice,” he said, offering me a seed. “Let’s get started.”
I filled the pot with soil and a bit of water before putting the seed into the planter.
“Deep breath and let your mind clear. Reach out with those same instincts you used to cast that lightning and feed the seed.”
I nodded and closed my eyes. I heard Duke and Lucian murmuring together. I opened my eyes just as the air started to warm. Duke’s hand was above the pot in front of him. I could see the streams of light coming from his hands. Green tendrils emerged from the soil, reaching toward the light.
I huffed. The tendrils faltered slightly.
“Push, Duke,” Lucian said. “Conjuring is harder than simple growing.”
“Then why aren’t I growing?”
“Too easy.”
He grit his teeth as the tendril wilted a little more and finally retreated into the soil. Duke stumbled forward, panting.
“That was… a lot harder than the staff.”
“You say that because you’ve gotten used to the staff, not because it’s true. You did well. Try again.” Lucian looked at me. “How’s it going?”
I shook my head. “I don’t feel anything.”
Frustration bubbled within me, and I let out a sigh of disappointment.
“Don’t be discouraged. It takes practice. Try not to focus on what you can’t feel, but what you want to feel.”
I frowned and looked down at the pot of soil. I stuck my hand in the soil again and tried to focus on everything I felt. The wetness, the grit, the frustration of knowing that I was free from the restraint, yet I still wasn’t making any progress. I felt stuck.
Then, I felt something else. Something outside of me, a longing, a dormant wish.
Hope.
It was dizzying, and I felt myself sinking into it. I heard laughter and the crashing waves. It was like I was back in my dream with David. We walked together from the beach into a lush garden.
The air filled with the sweet scent of blooming flowers. I imagined the soft touch of his hand in mine, the warmth of his smile as he spoke to me. So much hope filled me. Happiness and longing. It tingled through my body, spreading out like a warm wave. In the vision, we sat beside a flowering rose bush that felt so familiar.
My fingertips tingled. I felt something pulling it out of me. I was lost in a swirl of energy and feelings.
Hope. Yearning.
Wanting to be free and a fearless sense of reaching. I opened my eyes as I felt something wiggling and moving through my fingers. Green tendrils emerged from the soil, curling and twining around each other. I blinked in astonishment as delicate buds formed at the tips of the tendrils, slowly unfurling to reveal vibrant red roses.
My heart skipped a beat as I realized what was happening. Joy filled me. I could still see the garden in my mind. I felt his warmth at my side. The roses continued to grow, their petals unfurling in a mesmerizing dance. I lost sense of where I was and sound as I watched the rose bush grow. The roses swayed gently, their vibrant colors a testament to the strength of my emotions.
Then, I realized that the rose bush I had envisioned was this one.
My jaw dropped open, and I looked over at Lucian, who looked impressed.
“Roses.” He smirked. “What were you thinking about?”
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
